Pubdate: Sun, 14 Aug 2016
Source: Mail Tribune, The (Medford, OR)
Copyright: 2016 Associated Press
Contact: http://www.mailtribune.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/642
Author: Gillian Flaccus, Associated Press
FIRST-EVER MARIJUANA GROWERS' FAIR OPENS
SALEM (AP) - People flocked to Oregon's first-ever marijuana growers'
fair on Saturday where a competition for best pot plants was being
held, with the winners to be displayed at the Oregon State Fair.
The inaugural two-day Oregon Cannabis Growers' Fair underscores how
the once-illicit marijuana industry is starting to go mainstream in
Oregon, one of four states to have legalized recreational marijuana
use, along with Washington, D.C.
Ed Rosenthal, known in pot circles as the Guru of Ganja, poked,
prodded, rubbed and sniffed several dozen marijuana plants - some of
which were so big they engulfed him in an exhibition hall on the
Oregon State Fairgrounds. He and other judges were picking nine
winning plants - three in each of three categories - that will be
displayed at the Oregon State Fair for two weeks starting later this month.
Rosenthal, wearing a marijuana-leaf print shirt, scribbled on his
clipboard as onlookers snapped photos and gaped at rows of pot
plants. None had buds, per contest rules.
"The first thing is health and to make sure they don't have
infections and then to make sure they ... don't have nutrient
deficiencies. Then, we look at the structure of the plant: Has it
been getting as much sun as it should be getting? Is it sunburned?"
Rosenthal said.
Danny Grimm, owner of Uplifted, a cannabis farm, entered the
competition and said that winning it could spur sales.
"It's great to put it on our portfolio and get publicity here and get
our name out there," he said. "That is huge for the cannabis
industry, and it's definitely a step in the right direction for us.
We've been waiting for this for years."
Donald Morse, a pot grower who came up with the idea of holding the
fair, was happy with the strong attendance on opening day Saturday.
Segments of the industry, from seed providers all the way to a
company offering mechanized bud trimmers, were among more than 80 exhibitors.
Reggae music thumped from Savant Plant Technologies' display on
Friday as owner James Knox, 38, of Corvallis, set up his
do-it-yourself grow package, including peat and microorganisms to
stimulate plant growth.
"It's nice for us to be stepping across the line and say, 'Here we
are, and we're ready to do business,' " he said. "For those of us who
have been doing this a long time, this is a breath of fresh air
because we're able to work openly and in the light."
The winning entries of the pot-plant competition will be displayed at
the state fair with more traditional items like tomatoes, hogs and
horses, but in a translucent greenhouse guarded by extra security.
Only those 21 or older will be allowed to enter. It will be the first
time cannabis will be exhibited at a state fair anywhere in the
United States, organizers said.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom